34 Report of Schimmel § Co. 1921. 



rabbits and cats, always led to the same results. When the peppermint oil was introduced 

 into the stomach, or subcutaneously or intravenously, the gall bladder was much expanded; 

 its contents increased four and even eightfold and turned very fluid and clear, of a 

 beautiful green colour, without showing any mucus or solid constituents. There was 

 every indication that neither the red blood corpuscles nor the liver itself had detri- 

 mentally been affected by the remedy. After large doses of peppermint oil, introduced 

 subcutaneously or intravenously, the gall taken from the bladder smelled strongly of 

 peppermint oil. Heinz hence concludes that the oil has a special chemical or physico- 

 chemical affinity to the liver cells or to the lipoid bodies of the liver, with especial 

 regard to the gall secretion. 



It was further shown that the gall, abundantly produced under the influence of 

 peppermint oil, is able to soften gall stones, at least lecithine stones. 



Heinz has also found peppermint oil an efficient remedy in some cases of chole- 

 lithiasis and he recommends to apply the oil in the form of tabloids of 0.0125 g. of 

 oil (periodically, daily six to twelve tabloids). 



As regards Spanish peppermint oil, cf. page 78 of this Report. 



Oil of Perilla nankinensis.— Some years ago 1 ) we described the oil of Perilla 

 nankinensis, Decne. (Perilla arguta, Benth.; Ocimum crispum, Thunb., Labiatce) which 

 Semmler and Zaar 2 ) had been investigating. We recently succeeded in finding \-limonene 

 in the first portion of the distilled oil. As perilla aldehyde is based upon the skeleton 

 of limonene, it was natural to presume the presence of this hydrocarbon in the oil 

 itself. After separating the aldehydic and alcoholic constituents by the usual methods 

 there remained an oil containing terpene and sesquiterpene from which a fraction of 

 b. p. 48 to 60° (4 mm.) could be isolated. Distilled at ordinary pressure it possessed 

 the constants: — b. p. 176 to 180°; « D — 87.5°. The tetrabromide prepared in the 

 usual way melted after repeated recrystallisation from acetic ester sharply at 104°, and 

 this melting point was not depressed by adding some Mimonene tetrabromide of known 

 origin. The oil contains about 9 per cent, of this Mimonene. We further succeeded 

 in isolating a fraction of b. p. 114 to 116° (4 mm.) which solidified already in the 

 recipient. Dried on filter paper it formed long, hard, colourless needles of m. p. 128° 

 and of a peculiar smell, recalling celery and parsley. The quantity available was 

 unfortunately too small to carry our investigation further. 



S. Furukawa and Z. Tomizawa 3 ) have investigated the formation and the con- 

 stitution of the essential oil of Perilla nankinensis, Decne. The abstract quoted does 

 not refer to the fundamental work of Schimmel $ Co. 4 ) and of Semmler and Zaar 5 ) 

 which had already established and explained the constitution of the main constituents 

 of the oil and of its derivatives. There is new information in the physiological part 

 of the Japanese paper. The oils distilled from the fresh plant in different stages of 

 their development indicated that the aldehyde percentage increased gradually, till the 

 end of the bloom, at the expense of the esters, whilst the oils prepared from dry 

 plants showed the inverse behaviour. In order to decompose the glucosides of the 

 green plant and to convert them into oil it is necessary to prepare the enzyme and, 

 therefore, to dry the plant at a low temperature. The chemical portion of the paper 





a ) Cf. Report October 1910, 146. — 2 ) Berh Berichte 44 (1911), 52; Report April 1911, 93. — 

 s ) Journ. chem. Ind., Tokyo 23 (1920), 342. From Journ. chem. Soe. 118 (1920), I. 750. — 4 ) Report October 

 1910, 146. — B ) Bert. Berichte 44 (1911), 52; Report April 1911, 93. 



